Sin Kid Ficlet Collection
by Warden-Sigma
Summary: A collection of short Loud House fics based on the Sin Kids AU.
1. Rochelle has her crutches stolen

Rochelle stretched. She could smell Liena's wonderful pancakes from the loungeroom where she had slept.

She instinctively reached for her crutches, ready to bound into the dining room...

Only to find they were gone.

She started frantically looking for them, unable to spot them.

"Looking for something?"

She looked to the dining room doorway. Leia stood there, a pair of crutches tucked under her arm.

_Her_ crutches.

"Leia, g-give those back!" Rochelle called to her.

"Sure." Leia grinned a wicked grin. "After you come here and grab them."

She walked off.

"You don't want to miss out on pancakes, do ya?"

"Leia!" Rochelle gripped the edge of the couch she was sleeping on. "W-when I get my hands on you...!"

She groaned. Guess she had no choice.

With a mighty effort she pulled herself up onto her legs. She wasn't the heaviest person, but her poor leg muscles made her feel like she weighed like a rhino.

She took a wary step forwards, still using the couch as support.

She felt a spike of pain shoot through her leg as her weight pushed down on it, and she nearly collapsed.

Fortunately she had her mother's grit, and took another step.

Her right leg was definitely her better one, and although she felt the strain of her body through it she didn't feel much pain. Even though she had grown up with plenty of physiotherapy to help develop her legs up, there was only so much she could naturally do. She had no idea how far she could go without crutches.

When she got her hands on Leia...

Letting go of the couch and spending a moment to get her balance, she took another step.

The moment she put more weight on it to take another step a jolt of pain shot up her body.

Yet she remained upright.

She took a few more slow and cautious steps. The whole ordeal was taxing, and she found herself short on breath.

From the kitchen she could hear an argument but was too busy focusing on her legs to hear them properly.

She took another step, and lost her balance.

She lurched forwards, shoulder hitting the archway hard and stopping her from falling face-first into the carpet.

She hissed in pain, screwing her eyes shut as she did.

She opened her eyes, blurry with tears. But she could tell who was in front of her.

Leia, looking quite pleased with herself.

And Lupa, looking shocked.

"Well done, Rochelle ." Leia said.

"G-give them back..." Rochelle growled, short on breath.

"Don't worry, you haven't got far to go." Leia smiled, her tone and expression full of artificial sweetness.

"Okay, that's enough." Lupa got up, but Leia placed her hand in her way.

Rochelle took a few steps, but her legs gave out on her as a huge bolt of pain shot through her entire body, barely masking the feeling of carpet hitting her face.

Once Rochelle regained her senses mere moments later, she heard a loud clatter and a quiet gasp.

She looked up to see Liena staring at her with a horrified expression, a fresh stack of pancakes strewn on the floor in front of her.

The expression changed to pure anger as she slowly turned her head to Leia.

Leia shunted the crutches into Lupa's chest. "It was her idea!"

"Wh- Hey! I had fuck-all to do with this!"

Rochelle felt herself being hoisted up by Liena into a nearby chair. It felt good to have her weight off her legs.

Liena then walked up to Leia and grabbed her ponytail, pulling her close to her face, staring her down. Then, she walked off, still holding Leia's ponytail.

"Ow-! Hey, stop pulling, you're gonna mess my hair up-!"

Liena continued on, heedless of her protests.

"Agh, jeez-! Wait, no, don't! Don't tell Uncle Lincy...!"

Leia's voice trailed off as she was dragged off to her punishment.

"Serves her right." Lupa murmured, then she passed the crutches to Rochelle. "Here."

"Honestly, I w-would've expected that from you." Rochelle took the crutches.

"I might be an asshole, but I have some standards. 'Sides, Toby'd kill me if I did that."

The two of them shared a chuckle. "W-well, I guess we're n-not having pancakes then."

Lupa looked at the mess. "Fuck."


	2. Loan has a job interview

"Well, thank you for coming, and good luck with the rest of the process."

Loan grabbed the woman's hand and gave it a shake. Solid grip. slight downwards tilt. Just like she was taught. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity. When can I expect to hear from you?"

The woman gave a slight smile. "If you're successful, we'll contact you within the week."

"Excellent, hope to hear from you soon."

The two of them said their farewells, and Loan departed.

The moment she left the building, she hesitated.

Then dashed off to the nearest bush to bring her breakfast back up and into it.

She grabbed a handkerchief from her bag and wiped her mouth clear. While her anxiety was still flaring up bad, it was a little better after that.

Shame it was something Liena had made for her.

Pulling herself back up and dusting herself off, she walked to the parked car.

Tapping on the door, her mother looked up from her phone and gave her a small wave.

"So, how'd it go?" Lori asked as she entered the car.

"Fine." She replied, softly.

"Just 'fine'?" Lori chuckled. "You puking in the bush over there says otherwise."

"A-are you mad at me?"

"What? No, of course not." Lori smiled, placing her hand on Loan's. She moved her hand away, and her smile dipped slightly. "I remember my first job interview. Heh, I was an absolute nervous wreck myself."

"Yeah, but..." Loan sighed. "I'm 21. I should have a job or have finished college-"

"Loan, stop."

Loan stopped immediately, fearing punishment if she continued.

"Look..." She sighed. "It's not your fault."

Loan blinked.

"I pushed you too much when you were a kid. It was wrong of me to do that, I should've let you do things at your own pace."

Lori placed her hand on Loan's again and held it. Loan's eyes widened a little and she locked up.

"I'm... I'm proud of you, Loan. I'm sure everyone else will be, too." Lori paused. "And your father would have been, I'm sure."

Loan remained motionless as her vision began clouding up.

How long had she waited to hear those words?

Loan sniffed, and felt herself begin to cry.

She turned to look at her mother, almost expecting some kind of cruel expression or chastising remark for crying like this.

Instead, she got a sincere and kind-hearted expression, a look she had only ever given her sister Rosalina.

Loan broke down into audible sobs, and pulled herself close to her mother as well as the seatbelts could allow, clutching her tight.

Lori did much the same, herself becoming quite teary-eyed.

Soon, Loan had regained her composure, and let her mother go. "S-sorry."

"For what?" Lori smiled, wiping a tear from her own eye. "Hey, because you did well, how about we go grab some lunch and you can tell me all about it. How does that sound?"

Loan smiled. The first genuine smile she had since... jeez, far too long. Her eyes were still wet from before and she was still sniffing. "Burgers?"

"You read my mind."


	3. Liby and Gloom make a DnD character

"No way!" Gloom exclaimed. "You play DnD too?"

Liby pushed the hefty rulebook back in place on the shelf. "Yeah, a little. I mostly run it, though."

"That's so cool~! I've always wanted to play but nobody seems to want to."

"Well, I've been thinking of running a campaign for family, you're welcome to join too."

Gloom's eyes sparkled. "Really?!"

Liby nodded. Gloom squealed and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Thank you!"

Gloom let her go and she spent a moment catching her breath. "I've got some time, you wanna do some character gen?"

-

"So I add my Con bonus to ten?"

"Yep."

Gloom had decided that her first character would be a gnome paladin. Certainly an unusual combination, and she would never had picked Gloom to be the Paladin type.

What surprised her the most, though, was how quickly she was picking it up.

Gloom jotted down something on a sheet of paper. "Neat. What now?"

Liby skimmed through the handbook. It had been a while since she had run 7th Edition DnD, normally she ran Pathfinder. "Well, we've done most of the technical stuff, I think all that's left is equipment and what your paladin's like as a person."

"Are you running a pre-existing story or your own one?" Gloom asked as she took the handbook and flicked to the equipment section.

Liby paused. "M-my own. Is that okay with you?"

Gloom looked up with that same sparkle in her eyes. "Of course it is!" She leaned in, propping her head in her hands. "Tell me about it."

"Well, where would you like me to start?"

The two of them spend the next three hours talking about Liby's world, and only stopped because Gloom's mum had to leave.

Before the two of them got into their car, Gloom turned back to Liby and waved. "See ya later, Liby!"

"See ya next week." Liby waved back as they drove off.

"I'm happy you two get along." Luan said, placing a hand on Liby's shoulder. "That would've made things awkward with Maggie."

"Yeah." Liby smiled. Then frowned. "Dang it."

"Hm?"

"We forgot to finish her character."


	4. Lizy doubts Santa's existence

"Is Santa real?"

Before anyone could answer Lizy's question Lyra immediately covered Lupa's mouth.

"Of course he's real." Leia responded, as if it was common knowledge.

"But I heard from Karen that he isn't an Karen's always right-"

"Karen can go eat a sock for all I care."

Lupa, now free of Lyra's grasp, started laughing. "'Eat a sock'? The hell kinda insult is that?"

"Can it, Snowflake." Leia turned back to Lizy. "But no, Karen's wrong."

Lizy breathed a sigh of relief. "But wait... why did he give me a dino but gave Ben a whole... uh, game thingy? Th' big black one Loan has but bigger."

"He WHAT?!" Leia yelled.

"I thought I was a good girl..." She started tearing up. "And Ben's a big meanie who keeps pulling my hair a-an..."

"Now hang on, Liz." Lyra started, but Lupa put a finger in front of her lips.

"Hold up, I got this." Lupa walked over to Lizy. "Hey, you wanna know the truth?"

"Lupa, don't you even dare-!" Lyra hissed.

"Ya wanna know why Ben got a PS7 from Santa but you only got a plastic dino?"

"Lupa Loud, if you even say one more word-"

"Ben's parents bought it for him." Lupa smiled deviously. "He's been a bad kid so obviously Santa's not gonna give him anything, but despite complaining to him Santa said that he can't give naughty kids gifts. So they get something for him, wrap it up and say it's from Santa."

"Ohhh..." Lizy slowly started to smile. "Wait, why do you get stuff from him?"

"He and I have a deal. Someone's gotta tell him which kids are naughty."

"Okay!" Lizy beamed. "Imma go play upstairs. Say hi to Santa for me!"

"Will do, kid."

She watched Lizy make her way upstairs, and let out a little sigh.

"I gotta admit, Lupa," Lyra started, speaking softly. "I didn't expect you to be so noble."

"She's gotta grow up eventually... but for now, she deserves to be a happy, naive kid. I don't wanna be the asshole who tells her Santa isn't real."

"Wait, Santa _isn't_ real?" Leia asked, shocked.

"Hold on, you thought he was?" Lupa replied, holding back laughter. "I thought you were trying to comfort Lizy."

"Okay, you're full of it." She turned to Lyra. "Please tell me she's lying."

"Eh..." Lyra rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh, Son of a-!"


	5. Lemy fixes something for Liby

"Liby, stop breathing down my neck."

Liby backed up. "Sorry, I'm just fascinated."

Lemy rolled his eyes, and went back to his work.

Liby had come into his room with an ancient box, and old cassette player. She had apparently found some old Noir novel audiobook tapes and wanted to listen to them but the player she had gotten was busted.

Lemy began soldering. Repairing this relic was a challenge despite its simplicity. It had probably been out-of-date for fifty years by now, if not more. It was certainly older than Aunt Lori, as he spotted a panel with '1986' marking a date of manufacture.

"So why don't you just listen to those tapes online?" He asked, moving the schematics on his tablet screen bolted to the wall to figure out what he was doing next. "Hell, why didn't you just ask Mom to see if she has one?"

"I..." Liby hesitated. "I dunno. I just thought it'd be cool to listen to it the way it was supposed to. Plus, your mom's barely around."

Lemy did a bit more soldering. "You're lucky I don't charge for this, this analog crap is... uh..." He paused. "Dang it, I was gonna say something but I forgot."

Liby chuckled. "Ah, don't worry about it."

Lemy continued for a few more minutes, then (if his schematics were right) finished, bolting the case shut. "I think I'm done. Let's test it out."

Liby eagerly, but carefully, reached into her bag and pulled out a few cassette containers, then put them back and pulled another one out. Lemy meanwhile plugged the player into the wall and opened the holder. He went to reach for the cassettes but Liby stopped him.

"They're at least 70 years old, let me."

"Jesus." Lemy replied, watching her slide a tape in and close it. Carefully she pressed the rewind button, which did nothing, so she hit the play button.

After a second the machine whirred and static crackled out of the speakers. Low-quality music began playing and a voice-over began.

"Christ, people used to-" Lemy was interrupted by a tight hug from Liby.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Liby squeezed hin tighter before letting him go. "Oh my gosh, you're amazing!"

Lemy was more surprised than anything. Normally Liby was more reserved and calm than this. Then again, she was a massive film noir fangirl.

He grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah, don't mention it, Libs."

"Seriously, Lemy, this is great! I owe you one, big time."

Lemy's stomach rumbled. "Lunch?"

Liby smiled. "I can do that."


	6. Lupa defends Lacy

Lacy never usually looked this upset.

"Which game did you lose this time?" Lupa asked, setting her tray down on the cafeteria table and sitting opposite her half-sister, who was idly picking at her own food, looking at it with a disheartened gaze.

"Hey Lupa..." She replied with a sigh.

"Okay, something's up. You gonna tell me or what?"

"It's nothing." She continued picking at her food.

"Bullshit."

Lacy looked up for a brief moment.

"I can tell something's messing you up."

"I... I don't want to talk about it."

"Then I'll guess."

"Lupa, please..."

This gave Lupa pause. "God damnit, Lacy, bottling up my problems is _my_ thing."

Lacy looked up and glared at her. "Fine. You wanna know what's wrong?"

"Yeah."

"I... I wanted to sit with some of my friends, but they didn't let me. Said they were holding my seat for someone else."

Lupa looked past Lacy to another of the tables. A group of about five girls, all athletic types she had seen Lacy talk to, looked back at her, before huddling down and whispering among themselves.

"Really?"

"Yep..." She sighed again. "And I keep seeing people look at me and whispering to each other."

"That's weird."

"I just wish I knew what they were saying..." She finally took a bite from her food, albeit a small piece. "I thought high school would be better than this."

"I wouldn't worry about it, honestly. In a few years this shit's gonna fade away and you're almost never gonna see those bitches again."

"I know, I was just hoping I'd make a friend. Y'know, a non-family one, like your friends."

"Hey, I can't get those two dorks to leave me alone."

"But you like their company, don't ya?" She smirked, although still upset about earlier.

Lupa blushed. "Shut up."

-

Lupa sighed, as the five girls walked past her nesting place of the dumpster.

With practiced ease she leapt off, and cleared her throat. Two of the girls turned to face her, followed shortly by the others. "Hey!"

One of them, a tall and lithe woman with blonde hair done up in a side ponytail, approached her. She was easily half a foot taller than Lupa. "Well, if it isn't bucktooth's weird sister."

"How fuckin' original." Lupa replied with immense sarcasm. "So I take it you're the head bitch?"

"Ooh, scathing." She crossed her arms. "I knew dropping that weirdo was the right idea."

Lupa shrugged. "Yeah, I guess my cousin's too good for you."

This seemed to piss her off.

Good.

"What?!" She walked right up to her and glared down at her hard. Lupa was barely phased. "What do you mean she's too good for me?"

"Firstly, you said _me_, not _us_. Kinda neglecting your own 'friends' there, princess." Lupa smirked.

This gave her pause.

"But mainly, she's way more friendly accepting than your Beverley Hills-wannabe clique would ever be."

"Shut up, you skank!" She grabbed her collar and pulled her close. "As if you know what friendship's like."

"Wow, way to judge someone by their appearance there. Real mature of you."

Lupa felt herself being thrown to the side, hitting the concrete with her shoulder. She spend a few moments recovering from the impact - she couldn't take a hit like her half-brother could - before pulling herself back up.

"Monique!" One of the other girls protested.

"Shut it." She approached Lupa again.

Lupa grinned, holding her sore shoulder. "So, we can add bullying small children to the list of reasons why you're a cunt."

"What's your endgame, weirdo?" Monique asked harshly. "Cuz I'm not gonna be friends with your sister."

"Cousin."

"What?"

"She's my cousin, idiot."

"Whatever, I'm still not gonna be friends with her."

"I know, and I wouldn't want her to be friends with you either." Lupa rubbed her sore shoulder to try to ease the pain. "But here's how this is gonna work. Either you quit trash-talking Lacy and at least apologise for being a bitch to her, or I start telling people you're cheating on Trent."

"What? I'm... I'm not cheating on Trent." She looked genuinely confused.

"I know that, and you know that, but everyone else doesn't. I tell the right people, that'll spread so fast that by the time the truth comes to light it'll already be too late."

"You... you wouldn't dare."

"Wanna fuckin' bet?" Lupa raised an eyebrow.

"And what if I start my own rumour about you?"

"As if anyone'd believe Monique the cheater. Also I really don't give a shit about what people say about me, I already hate myself."

Monique's confident facade completely disintegrated. "You... You're insane."

Lupa shrugged. "That depends on who you ask. So, you apologise to Lacy and don't talk shit about her to anyone else, and I won't tell anyone about your... _little secret_."

Monique growled. "Fine. But you're on thin ice, bitch."

"Whatever."

"Come on, let's go." Monique walked off, with her clique following closely behind.

Lupa smiled. "Lacy, Lizy, you can come out now."

From behind the dumpster, Lacy slid out. Lizy popped out from behind the bushes, holding a camera.

"You alright, Lupa?" Lacy asked.

"I'l be fine." She nursed her sore shoulder. "You got everything, Liz?"

"Yep." Lizy smiled.

Lupa was swept up in a giant hug from Lacy. "Thank you so much, Lupa-!"

"OooooOoowww!"

Lacy immediately dropped her. "Oops, sorry."


	7. Loan confesses to Rose

"Come in." Rose called out, pausing her movie and placing her headphones to the side.

The door creaked open, her sister Loan poking her head through. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Not at all."

Loan weakly smiled, pushing the door open more and spilling more of the hallway light into her dark room, otherwise lit only by her TV. She lifted a couple of flat boxes up for Rose to see. "Mom got us pizza for dinner. I know you forget to eat sometimes so she got you something bigger this time."

"Oh, sweet."

Loan walked up and handed her the larger of the two boxes. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Rose turned to the TV. "Don't mind. Want me to start the movie over?"

Loan shook her head. "No no, it's okay. I just want some company."

Rose scooted to the side, giving Loan enough room to sit beside her on the mattress. Once she settled down she disconnected her headphones from her tablet, and resumed the movie.

She opened the box resting on her lap, a cloud of steam rising from it. Margarita, her favourite. She pulled a slice and began eating it, suddenly realising how hungry she was.

"Hey, uh... Rose...?" Loan asked with some degree of trepidation.

"Hm?"

"There's... something I need to tell you. About Dad..."

Rose's heartrate immediately skyrocketed. Her father, Bobby, was a figure she and her mother practically idolised, especially ever since he passed away ten years prior. She was about ready to tear into Loan for even suggesting he wasn't any worse than a clumsy but loveable goof. "What...?"

"I-it's nothing bad, just... please, let me speak."

Rose tried to calm herself. It... kind of worked.

Loan took a few breaths to steele herself. "Have... have you ever wondered why I look far more like Mom than you do?"  
"Uh... no, not really."

"Really?" Loan seemed surprised. "Look, the important part is that I do. And..." She sighed, shakily. "I think I know why."  
Rose paused the movie.

"I... I think I have a different Dad."

Rose blinked. "What?"

Loan groaned, covering her eyes with one hand and sliding down the bed. "I know, it's dumb, but it's true."

"Wait, no, hang on, Mom said that Bobby was your dad."

"Well, she lied." Loan sighed, placing her hands on her stomach. "It gets worse, though..."

Rose felt her heartrate skyrocket again.

"... actually, no, never mind, it's not important." She got up to leave, but Rose grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back down.

"No, you can't just say that and then not tell me!"

Loan struggled, failing to break out of her grasp. "Rosalina, please, I don't want to say it...!"

"You're not leaving until you tell me!"

"It's Uncle Linc!"

Rose paused, then relinquished her grasp. "What...?"

Loan was on the verge of tears. "M-my dad... it's Uncle Lincoln..."

"I... wh... How do you even...?"

"Liby... she told me he confessed to her."

Rose felt herself getting light-headed. She laid back down, on her side, before her body could give out on her and she fell on top of Loan or something. "That's..." She let out a deep breath. "That's heavy."

"Yeah..." Loan covered her eyes with one hand. "Ugh, I shouldn't have told you, I'm such an idiot..."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up like that." Rose held her other hand tightly. "I would've found out eventually. I'm just happy you're comfortable enough to tell me yourself."

Loan peeked out from behind her hand. "You... you don't think any less of me?"

Rose shook her head. "No, of course not. It doesn't change anything about you."

Loan smiled weakly. "Thanks... Hey, can I ask a favour?"

"Sure."

"Can... can you not tell Mom you know, or treat her any differently? She already has enough to deal with, I-I don't wanna stress her out any more."

Rose sighed. "I'll try."

"Promise?"

"I... I promise."

"Thank you, Rose..." She pulled herself back up. "Oh, can you start the movie from the beginning please? It looks fun."

Rose nodded, and set the high-octane thriller back to the beginning.


	8. Rose reunites with her father

"Hey guys, I'm home!"

Rosalina froze. The voice that called out from the now-open front door was one she hadn't heard since forever.

"Dad...?"

Standing in the doorway, a tall, lanky figure stood. He turned to face Rose and gave her a huge smile. "Hey, honey."

Rose stood up and approached him carefully. She cautiously placed a hand on his shoulder, and could feel the very same fabric of his trademark overshirt. "Is... is that really you...?"

Bobby nodded.

Rose's eyes swelled up with tears, and she threw herself into his open arms, holding tight. "God, you're really here...!"

"Sure am." He chuckled, holding her tight.

Rose, reluctantly, was the first to break the hug, beaming. "Oh God, I have so much to tell you." Her smile dropped. "Oh God, I have so much to tell you."

"It's about the incest thing, isn't it?"

Rose froze. "W-what...?"

Bobby sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've... known about it since Lari was born. I just didn't say anything cuz I didn't want to hurt Lori." He reached his hand out and stroked her hair. "And you."

Rose placed her hand on his. "You know it's gotten... worse?"

Bobby nodded solemnly. "Yeah. But I try not to let that affect my opinion too much."

"But-!"

"Look, we all make mistakes. Some bigger than others, yes, but we all make 'em." He looked away from her. "Myself included." He turned back to her and smiled. "Jeez, look how much you've grown. You're almost as tall as me now. Soon enough you'll be taller than me, heh heh."

Rose chuckled. "Doubt it. I'm already 22."

"22, huh? Man, I have been gone for a while." He muttered to himself. "Ah well." He spared a glance at the wall clock. "Oh, darn. I have to go."

"What?!" Rose cried out, gripping his hand tightly. "Y-you just got here!"

"I know, honey, but I've gotta say hi to a few more people." He pulled her into a tight hug. "But I'll be back as soon as I can."

"No, you can't... don't leave me again..." Rose sobbed into his shoulder.

"I wish I could stay longer, honey, but I can't." He kissed her forehead, and pulled her back to look directly at her, wiping away a tear from her cheek. "Hey, be strong, okay? And look after your mom and sisters too."

Rose sniffed. "O-okay."

"You know I love you more than anything in the world, right."

"L-love you too, Dad..."

Bobby hesitantly let Rose go, and approached the door. As he opened it and stepped outside, he turned back to her one last time. "See ya round, Rosalina."

The door shut, and all the light and colour immediately drained from around her.

"No..." Rose muttered, then made a break for the door. "No, come back!"

She yanked the door almost off its hinges, and her vision was filled with light.

-

"Agh, jeez-!" Rose turned onto her other side and opened her eyes. Through her blurred vision she saw the bright pillar of light from her bedroom window hitting the wall in front of her.

She blinked a few times to clear her vision. She felt tears running down her face. Clearly she had been crying, and as echoes of her dream came back to her she knew why.

_Hey, be strong, okay?_

She smiled weakly to herself. "Gotcha, dad."


	9. Toby defends Rochelle

It was a warm summer day. Toby, having finished his last class for the day, was making his way to catch up with his 16-year-old sister, Rochelle.

She was usually a little later out of class than he was, partly due to mobility but mostly due to her asking the teachers questions. The girl really wanted to be a nurse or doctor and had the drive to work towards it. It was admirable.

When he rounded the corner, he expected to see her at her locker, packing her bags or something.

He didn't expect her to be surrounded by a group.

He moved closer. He spotted a couple of girls and a few boys. They were laughing, and maliciously.

"C-come on, guys, don't be so m-mean." Rochelle said, with a hint of concern.

One of the girls laughed. "Aww, wassamatter, you gonna cry?"

One of the boys shoved Rochelle into the locker door. Her legs buckled and she fell to the floor with a pained grunt, to the laughter of the group.

Toby saw red, but he managed to keep his rage in check as he approached. "Oh, real mature, guys. Bullying a disabled woman. That's gonna look *real* good on your record."

The group turned to face him. "Oh look, it's her bro." One of the boys said. "Get lost, nerd."

"Toby...!" Rochelle hissed at him, slowly pulling herself back up. "I c-can handle this..."

"I guess you didn't get my hint." Toby sighed. "Lemme make it so clear even you can understand. You keep picking on Rochelle, the principal is going to hear about it."

"Are you threatening us, loser?" One of the girls asked.

"Not directly, no." Toby shifted his position, placing his better foot forward. "But seriously, why are you even bullying her? She's dealt with worse than you, you're not gonna get to her."

"You looking for a fight, wimp?" One of the boys, easily twice his width, asked.

"Gonna throw down to save your beloved damsel in distress?" One of the girls mocked him, then imitated kissing noises.

"Okay, first of all, ew, no, she's my sister." Toby frowned. "And secondly, I don't want to fight you guys. You leave Rochelle alone, you won't have any trouble. Underst-"

The largest boy simply yelled and swung a wide punch at him. He managed to sidestep, sticking out a leg to trip him over. He hit the lino floor with a solid thump.

"As I said, you leave her alone, and I won't report you." He sighed. "Is she really worth picking on?"

One of the other boys charged him and swung at him. He caught his arm and swivelled it behind his back just as his friends came at him, their blow striking Toby's shield. He pushed them away, and they staggered away.

"Jeez, is she really that important to you? Why is she even-?"

"Toby!" Rochelle yelled out. Toby found himself black out for a moment as his body lurched forwards, the large boy having punched him square in the back. Just as he recovered, another fist hit him in the stomach, winding him. He fell to his knee just as kick went towards him. He barely managed to catch it and flip the boy over, and get back on his feet before he was shoved into the locker doors.

"Ah, you're mad cuz you don't like being challenged."

He dipped to his knees just as two of them swung at him again. Their fists hit the doors and rang out throughout the hallway. He dived to the side and rolled back onto his feet, then stepped backward and past the two girls spectating.

The boys went to charge, but stopped. The girls turned and froze. Toby took a few steps back, then dared to glance behind him.

Rochelle had run off.

He smiled, facing back to them. "Oh well, I guess you're done then."

The larger boy yelled out and charged him, pushing aside the two girls to get to him. Toby sidestepped again, but found himself stepping into his arms, and he was tackled into the ground.

"Devin!"

The large boy stopped squeezing him, and looked up.

Looking down at the two of them, with a stern look, was the principal. She crossed her arms as Devin, the large boy, stood up.

Toby caught his breath, and slowly pulled himself up. His knees felt weak as he did. He looked up, and saw Rochelle next to her. She walked up and tried to help him up.

"H-he started it!" Devin yelled accusingly.

"No, he didn't." The principal replied sharply. "Rochelle told me what happened. You five, my office, now."

"B-but I didn't do anything!" One of the girls yelled out.

"Well, you'll have a chance to explain yourself soon. Also don't lie to me, we do have security footage here." She walked up to Toby. "Rochelle, take Toby to the nurse's office, please."

"W-will do." Rochelle nodded, and as the principal herded the five away, she helped Toby back onto his feet and let him lean on her shoulder. "I c-could've handled that, Toby."

"Yeah, but I couldn't just stand by. We're a team, remember?"

Rochelle sighed. "Yeah, I g-guess. ... Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled. "Now, let's go. I wanna check if I've got a concussion or something."


	10. Lincoln splits up with Ronnie Anne

"Lincoln... do you have a moment?"

Lincoln looked up from his desk, placing his pen to one side. Ronnie Anne, his wife, was standing in the doorway. "I do."

Ronnie Anne stepped into the room, a repurposed closet used as Lincoln's work room, and closed the door.

"Is... something wrong?"

Ronnie Anne sighed, her breath a little shaky. "I... I want you to tell me about your nieces."

His heart skipped a beat as a wave of anxiety struck him. "What do you wanna know?"

"Are they... are they *really* your nieces?"

"O-of course they are, why...? What are you thinking?"

"You see, Linc, I would believe you, but..." Another shaky sigh. "I've noticed a pattern. And so has Toby." She began to pace. "Every so often you go and spend some time with one of your sisters for a while, which is fair. About a few months later, I find out that sometimes they're pregnant. Then, about nine months after you visit them, they have a child. Now, I dunno about you, but that seems like one hell of a coincidence."

Lincoln watched her pace, his stomach sinking further.

"So, I start asking them." She let out a single, mirthless laugh. "And you know what? *Almost all* of them either can't remember or won't say who the father is. So I start putting the pieces together, and I think-"

"You think they're my kids."

Ronnie Anne stumbled on the rest of her sentence. "Wh...?"

He sighed, turning on his chair to face her. "I hate to say this, but it's true."

Ronnie Anne stared at him in stunned silence.

"I've been thinking of telling you ever since... well, a while now. But I was afraid of how you'd react, all for completely justifiable reasons, but self-preservation won over honesty." He looked up at her. "You... seem to be taking this remarkably well."

"Of course I am." She chuckled, strained and obviously faked. "I-I mean, I just found out my husband had sex with his own sisters and had children with them, why wouldn't I be fine?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Okay, I can tell you're upset-"

"Ya think?!" She nearly yelled, her jaw still clamped. She loosened up, sighing. "Look... I am fucking *furious* with you. But... I don't want to have an outburst. Not while the kids are around."

"So, what now?"

"I think... I think I need... *we* need some time apart."

Lincoln looked up at her. She was on the verge of tears. Not that he was faring much better. "I... As much as I don't want to be apart, it's probably for the best."

"I'll... I won't be the asshole mom who doesn't let their kids see their father. Toby and Rochelle have done nothing to deserve it." Her face went stern. "But I want you out in a month at the latest."

"... I can manage that." He sighed. "So, what do we tell the kids?"

"We should break the news to them. One of us should."

"I'll do it. It's my fault, I should be the one to tell them."

Ronnie Anne chuckled sadly. "Always the heroic one." She wiped her tears away. "Whenever you're ready."

Lincoln, getting up, approached Ronnie Anne, and extended a hand to brush her cheek. She moved away from his touch, her hands on his chest to stop him getting closer.

"No... Not until we've worked through this."

Lincoln sighed, letting his hand drop. "Yeah... sorry, Ronnie Anne."

"You better be." She lightly punched him in the shoulder, a slight smile on her face. "But seriously, I need some time."

Lincoln nodded, and stepped past her to leave. He turned to face her one last time, before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

He paused for a while, the sound of quiet sobbing behind the door.

"Dad...?"

Lincoln turned to face the voice. His 13-year-old son, Toby, was looking at him with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." He wiped his own tears away. "Listen... there's something I need to tell you guys."


	11. Terry and Rose find some old candy

"Hey Rosie, check this out!" An extremely English voice called out.

Rose looked at the colourful packet in Terry's hand, before it was thrust into her arms. "Huh. Haven't seen this kind of candy before."

"Must be some kind of foreign stuff."

Rose turned the packet over, looking at the labelling. "It's in English, Terry."

"Could be Australian or something." Terry shrugged, taking the packet back and tearing it open with her teeth.

"Yeah, maybe." Rose replied as Terry shoved a whole handful of colourful gummy candy into her gob. "Jesus, slow down."

Terry happily chewed on it, offering the packet. Rose took a handful and popped one in her mouth. It tasted weird, but not unpalatable.

As some customers pushed open the doors, the two resumed their work, selling tickets and serving popcorn, the whole time eating those candies.

A few hours passed and the packet was long empty. Rose felt... odd. Had she forgotten to eat again?

Terry, standing beside her, groaned. "I feel off..."

Something clicked in Rose's mind. "Terry...?"

"Yeah?"

"Where did you find that candy?"

"Uh... Under the shelving behind me."

Rose, now feeling quite queasy, grabbed the empty packet. The 'Best Before' date read 11-24-2021.

"What's wrong?" Terry asked, before clutching her stomach and groaning.

"They're 25 years out-of-date!" Rose threw the packet at her. "You moron, why didn't you check?!"

"I thought this stuff didn't go off...!" Terry studied the packet. "Wh-" She gagged, then sped off.

Rose felt her stomach also threaten to upturn itself, and she bolted after her into the toilets, shoving the stall door open and flipping the lid open just as her stomach emptied itself. The acrid taste of bile and half-digested candy only made her more eager to get it all out.

Too long later, she had finally cleared herself out. Terry herself was still going. "Bloody hell, it's in my hair...!"

Rose pulled herself up. Her entire body hurt. "Terry?"

"Hm?" She asked, before throwing up.

"Don't ever do that again."


	12. Toby and Panther after his breakup

"Remember, Rob, we're meeting Mom at the cafe in fifteen."

Bobby barely acknowledged Toby, already speeding off to whatever section of the store that caught his interest today.

"Hey Tobs, hey BJ." The girl at the counter greeted them, brightening up at their arrival.

"Hey Pan." Toby waved, somewhat half-heartedly.

"Jeez, you doing alright?" She asked with concern.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Toby contented himself with studying the collection of inordinately expensive plastic miniatures.

"Dude, I can read you like a book. Which is ironic seeing as _you're_ the one that wants to be a journalist." She chuckled to herself. "Seriously, buddy, if you wanna vent I'm all ears."

Toby sighed. "I don't wanna bother-"

"Just tell me already damnit." Pan snapped back.

"Fine, jeez, I'll tell you." Toby groaned, leaning on the countertop. "Gabbi and I broke up."

"Really?"

Toby nodded. "It wasn't exactly clean either. Lots of yelling."

"Sorry to hear that, buddy." Pan placed a hand on his shoulder. "I've been in a few bad breakups myself, it sucks."

"I mean, in hindsight, it wasn't really healthy on both ends. She didn't really treat me as an equal, and I kept trying to pry into every detail of her life to make sure she was still faithful. I guess we just got sick of all of that." He sighed. "The thing is, even though I was the one who did the breaking up, I still kinda feel like crap."

"Again, I can relate." Pan sighed. "Hey, uh, if you want something to take your mind off this, we can always play a game of Warhammer at some point."

"You don't know anything about it, Pan."

"First time for everything." She shrugged.

"Y'know, I can't argue that." He smiled. "I can bring some stuff down and we could get a small game in."

"Sounds awesome."

Bobby poked Toby. "Hey Toby, stop flirting with Pan, we gotta go."

The two of them went bright red. "I-I wasn't-!"

"He- I wasn't-!"

Toby sighed. "Alright, fine. Text ya later, Pan."

"See ya, Flasher." She waved, still bright red.


	13. Older Lupa helps Leia

"Oh thank God you're here." Lola pulled Lupa into a tight and unwanted hug, the smell of way too much expensive perfume filling Lupa's nose.

Lupa wormed her way out of her grasp. "H-hey, Aunt Lola."

"I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't important."

Lupa raised an eyebrow. More like she was the last resort. She stepped passed her and entered the house. It was not very large, but ludicrously expensive-looking. "So what was wrong, exactly?"

"It's Leia." Lola started. "She hasn't left her room in a week, and she's barely been eating."

"Weird." Lupa murmured. Ignoring Lola from then on, she walked up a flight of stairs to where she knew Leia's room was. She knocked on the door.

"Go away." Leia replied.

"Yo Curls, it's Lupa."

Silence for a moment. The door opened just a crack, a brilliant blue eye looking at her. "What do you want?"

"Gwen told me you've not been at school for a week. I'm just checking on you for her."

"And she sent you rather than coming herself?" Leia scoffed. "Some friend." She went to close the door, but Lupa jammed it open with her heavy boot. "Move your foot, dumbass."

"Not until I get some answers." Lupa practically barged into her room. By complete contrast to the rest of the house, it was a mess, paper and clothes scattered everywhere. What stood out the most was Leia wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, her normally immaculate hair a complete mess. "Jesus."

"Get out of my room!" Leia yelled at her. "I'm busy!"

Lupa turned to her desk. A whole stack of books and sheets of half-written paper coated it. She studied the topmost book - something for chemistry, high school senior level. Nothing way beyond her league, seeing as she was already a senior student.

"Are you even listening to me?!" Leia shouted.

"So you've been stuck in here doing homework?" Lupa raised an eyebrow, placing the book down.

"Y-yeah, and?"

"Pfft, lame." Lupa smirked. "Explains the mess, though."

"Hey, you don't get to mock me, Miss Barely-passed-high-school-and-college-dropout."

"That'd cut me deep if I actually cared." Lupa replied. "But back to the point. Why are you even here and not at school?"

"I..." Leia frowned. "None of your business!"

"I've had about three people tell me it _is_ my business." Lupa crossed her arms. "And I'm not leaving until I'm satisfied with your answer."

Leia growled. "Fine. I'm... a bit behind in my classes, so I've decided to do homeschooling so I don't have any distractions."

"And how's that working out for ya?"

"Fine." Leia replied. "Kind of. I don't know!" Leia pouted and sat on her bed with a huff.

"Leia, you're a straight B student, you can afford to relax a little."

"Easy for you to say, your mom doesn't care about your schoolwork."

Lupa frowned in thought, then sat next to her. "Is... everything okay?" She asked in a soft voice.

"I..." Leia sighed. "I don't know. I keep trying but it's never enough." She turned to look at Lupa. "Do you know how that feels?"

"More than you know." Lupa placed a hand on Leia's shoulder.

"It's just... I keep pushing myself harder and harder, but it's never enough for her- I-I mean, myself..." Leia curled into herself.

Mother problems. Lupa sighed. "Well, I doubt this'd help, but I'm quite proud of how you've done. Certainly doing better than me, anyway."

"That's a low benchmark." Leia replied.

"But it _is_ a benchmark." Lupa smiled. "So maybe stop comparing yourself to what your mom wants and lower your expectations. Besides, you have dyslexia, so you're already doing great."

Leia looked back up at her, sniffing. "B-but I don't think I can do that, lower my expectations."

"Sure you can. Also, fuckin' ask for help. I know it's hard but ya just gotta suck it up."

Leia paused, thinking. "I... I don't know..."

"Well, lemme see if there's anything I can help with."

-

A solid five hours later, Lupa finally left Leia's room. Immediately Lola was up on her feet. "So what's wrong with her?"

"Where do I begin?" Lupa smirked. She had been wanting to say a few words to her for years, but now that she was an adult, she could.

Lola wasn't an idiot, though. Lupa's expression made her frown.

"First and foremost, lay off the damn kid. You keep demanding perfection and don't even have the heart to even aknowledge her efforts. So now she's stressed out of her mind, trying to both please you, pass high school, _and_ overcome her dyslexia which you fully know she has, and it's becoming an impossible climb." Lupa crossed her arms. "So stop being a total bitch and cut Leia at least _some_ slack."

Lola was absolutely furious. "You have no right to talk to me like that! You have no idea what it's like to be a single mother!"

Lupa looked around the upstairs hallway. "You seem to be doing fairly well for yourself though."

Lola's eye twitched. "That...!"

"Listen, all I'm saying is that you should being so... heartless? I feel like that's a good word. Stop being so heartless to Leia. She's trying her fucking best, and if you weren't such a thundercunt about her success doing then maybe she wouldn't be isolating herself just to attain your impossible standards."

Lola went to yell back, but faltered.

"I mean, if Aunt Lori, _fucking Aunt Lori_, can stop fucking up their daughter, then you can too." Lupa let out a deep breath. "Man, I have been wanting to say that stuff for years."

Lola looked deep in thought. "Have... have I really been that bad of a mother...?"

"'Fraid so."

Lola was on the verge of tears. "I... I need some time to think. I think you should go, for now."

"Just leaving now." Lupa smiled. Leaving the house, she scooped up a small rock and threw it at Leia's window. Leia peeked through it, then smiled and waved. Lupa couldn't help but smile back, and she wave-saluted her as she made the short walk back home.


	14. Young Loan breaks a vase

"Who broke this?!"

Loan, 5, cowed at her mother's harsh tone. Her elder sister, Rosalina, was holding firm though.

Loan had been playing with Rose earlier, mostly chasing each other. Loan had turned a corner too fast and had run into a small table, knocking a delicate crystalline vase off and shattering it.

Loan was guilty, but she didn't want to admit it. Lori was a harsh mother, and punished her severely. Sometimes it was being locked in the bathroom for a few hours, but if she broke something she was usually made to clean it up by hand as well, the small cuts caused by sharp edges a reminder to be careful around the house.

She still had bandages on from last time.

"Well?" Their mother crossed her arms. "If none of you are going to tell me, then I'll just punish both of you, and you'll _both_ have to clean this up by hand."

Loan felt herself on the verge of tears. She didn't want to be the bad girl again, but she knew that she had to tell the truth.

Even if her mother hated her for it.

"It was me."

Loan paused. She turned to face her sister, looking down at the floor with a guilty look.

"I ran too fast and hit the table."

Their mother looked... surprised. And a little concerned. "Are you hurt?" Loan rubbed her sore shoulder from the impact.

"No, I'm fine, mom." Rose replied.

Lori sighed. "Rose, what did I tell you about running around the house?"

"You told me to be careful or not to do it."

"Well, I hope this has been a lesson for you." She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a dustpan and brush, and handed it to Rose. "Clean this mess up, and you're not getting desert tonight."

"Aww, dang it." Rose bemoaned as her mother walked away. She began her cleaning with a huff.

Loan leant down and passed her a large piece. "Why'd you do that?"

"I know Mom doesn't let you off like she does with me, which is dumb."

"B-but you're gonna miss out on desert."

"I'd rather miss out on desert than miss out on playing with you."

"Lemme help you at least."

Rose smiled. "Okay."


	15. Rose vents to Toby

"Hey, Toby...?"

Toby looked up from the chilly bottle of alcohol in his hands. He hadn't touched it yet, and was still debating with himself if he should, seeing as he was only 20. He turned to Rosalina, who herself had downed half a bottle and was looking sullenly downwards, from the rooftop they were sitting on and towards the lawn. "Yeah?"

"Do... do you think I'm obsessed?"

Toby tilted his head. "Look, I know you like Pacific Rim a lot-"

"No, not about Pacific Rim, dork." She gave him a slight smile, then turned back to the ground. "I mean... Do you think I obsess about my dad too much?"

"What do you mean, exactly?"

"It's just..." Rose gently spun the drink between her hands. "Like, it feels like half of my personality is... thinking about Dad. I'm sure it's not healthy, but I can't..." She sighed. "I don't want to forget about him. And I always keep thinking, 'is he proud of me?', but I'll never know and that eats me up inside."

Toby paused for a moment. "Look, I'm gonna be candid with you. I think you're a bit too obsessed with your Dad. Before you get mad at me or throw me off the roof, let me clarify."

"I wasn't going to-"

"I get your obsession with your Dad. Uncle Bobby was one of the nicest and uncorrupted people I know, and while I'm certain he was just as flawed as everyone else, you were twelve so you never got to see that part. But I think you might be fixated on him to an unhealthy degree." Toby smiled. "Probably doesn't help I'm really the only one you can talk to about this stuff, Loan's not good with emotional stuff and Aunt Lori would've just fed your obsession. But yeah, I get where your coming from, but if you can manage it, maybe try to... I dunno how to phrase it right, just try to not worry so much about what your Dad would think of you."

"That's the problem..." Rose replied. "I don't know if I even can."

"Well, if it helps at all, I think he would be proud of you." Toby placed a hand on her shoulder.

Rose smiled sadly, and placed her hand on his. "Y-yeah, you're probably right."

"And hey, if you ever need to vent, feel free to talk to me. Or, y'know, just text me."

Rose turned to face him, then grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thanks, Tobs."

"Any time."

Rose pulled back, and pointed to the bottle in his hands. "Now, are you gonna have any of that? I wanna get shit-faced."

"All yours." Toby handed her the bottle. "I'm not quite comfortable with drinking at my age."

"Pfft, dork." Rose smirked, then took a swig from her already open bottle. Then she looked at the bottle a little, frowning slightly.

"Rose, relax. You're allowed to get hammered every now and again."

"I know, just..."

"Rose."

Rose frowned, then downed the entire bottle. The moment she pulled it away she had a pained expression. "Guh, I regret everything...!"

Toby laughed. "Okay, okay, I get what you were going for, but go a bit easy _there_ as well."

Rose chuckled herself. "Yeah, I know. God, I'm bad at this."

"Give it some time."

Rose cracked open the other bottle. "Hope that'll be enough."

"It will."


	16. Leia has a panic attack

Leia stared at the sudden pop quiz in front of her. It wasn't anything complicated, she was only nine, but she had hit a roadblock.

Beside her were her two friends - Marsha on her left, a brilliant-minded girl born into a rich family, and on her right was Gwen, a working-class girl who managed to win a scholarship. Marsha was already halfway done and Gwen, while obviously struggling, at least had pen to paper.

Leia's gaze never left her quiz. The letters seemed to shift and swirl in her mind. She frowned, trying her best to focus.

But she couldn't. She felt a tightness in her chest, her hand jittering a little as her vision darkened around the edges. She took deeper breaths, but this barely helped. Her head started feeling light.

"Leia?" Gwen's voice was barely heard over her own heartbeat, as was her teacher snapping back at her to remain quiet.

Leia's stomach turned, and the tightness in her chest grew intense.

Something was wrong.

_Very _wrong.

Leia practically leapt out of her seat and pushed past Gwen. She had to see the nurse, and _now_, hall rules be damned.

She could barely see where she was going as she barrelled down the hallways. She stumbled a little, then found herself on the floor. She fought the urge to throw up, and tried to pull herself up, her arms growing weak and failing to hold her up.

What felt like hours passed. Her chest pain grew to a dull sensation and her breathing returned, but her body felt weak. Feeling returned to her body, and she felt someone shaking her.

"Leia, holy crud, you okay?!" Gwen's voice called out to her, thick with panic.

"I..." She went to reply, but her stomach rebelled against motion. "Sick bay..."

She nearly threw up as Gwen practically hoisted her up over her shoulders. And again, when she was placed down on the bed in the nurses room.

"Jeez, Gwen, take it easy...!"

"Sorry, I panicked." Gwen replied, still obviously concerned. Marsha, who was usually inexpressive, showed a similar but subdued reaction.

Leia felt a nice, cool hand on her forehead, as the nurse started to check her over. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I... I felt like I was having a heart attack." Leia replied. "I think I did."

"Well, I can tell you you _didn't_have one, otherwise you wouldn't be talking." The nurse smiled. "No, I think you had a panic attack."

Leia blinked. "A panic attack?"

"Yes." The nurse nodded. "A lot of the symptoms are similar, or easily confused for one, but in any case coming to me was a good idea."

"Woah, hold the phone, lady." Leia pulled herself upright. Her body still felt sore and weak. "There's no way I just had a panic attack. That's only something my cousin has, and she's a homeschooled nervous wreck."

"If you want to get a second opinion, you can always see a doctor."

"What?! No way! If I see a doctor, and they say I had a panic attack, then Mom will find out, and that's not gonna be good!"

Gwen and Marsha shared a concerned look. The nurse bowed her head a little.

"Well, if you don't want your mom to find out, then there's not much I can suggest except to rest up. I'll write up a permission slip, one of your friends can show it to your teachers so you can rest in here for now, or you can go home and rest there."

Leia felt a wave of dread wash over her. "I... think I'll rest up in here."

"We'll visit you during lunch breaks." Marsha stated, her voice as cool as normal but with a hint of worry.

"Feel better soon, okay?" Gwen added, more obviously concerned, as the two of them took the permission slip and left her to rest up.

Leia sighed, and leant back. Now all she had to do was think of something to do for the next few hours.


	17. Lyra gets annoyed with Allie

The moment Lyra entered the room, she hesitated. Of course _she_ was sitting there.

The girl sitting on the couch looked up, and smiled warily. "H-hey Lyra."

"Allie." Lyra replied with a hint of venom in her voice.

It had been a mere few months since her mother had rescued Allie. The kid had lived on the streets for God knows how long, and rather than be carried off or left alone, her mother had decided to give her a meal and let her sleep the night.

That one night stretched to the next night. And then the rest of the week. And then the month. By the time the calendar flipped all of them knew she was going to stay.

It had been a tough time for Lyra. Her mother, ever the irresponsible woman, had to leave Lyra to handle making sure Allie had all the necessities, was eating right, and all that, the few times she wasn't home these days.

Meanwhile, her mother showered Allie with affection, affection she had no right to have from that woman, while she had left her other two children alone more times than she could count.

What made this little street rat so special? Was she a blank slate for Mom to make a good impression on? Was it for publicity? How dare Allie steal all of Mom's love while her own brother, Lemy, was left with scraps. The little c-

"Lyra...?"

Lyra snapped her eyes open. Through a teary haze she saw Allie, looking at her with concern.

Lyra had been crying. Her palms felt sore from where her nails had dug into her, and she had drawn blood on one of them.

She looked back up at Allie.

No, Allie didn't do anything wrong. She was just caught up in this, and was probably feeling just as overwhelmed as she was. Getting mad at her wasn't going to solve anything.

"Are you... okay?" Allie asked.

She wiped her tears away. "I-I'm fine, just had a moment."

Lyra took a seat next to Allie. Her hair was a scruffy mess, being not quite long enough to have gravity work on it, but not short enough to be neat.

"Hey, Lyra?"

Allie wrapped her arms around Lyra.

"I just wanna say that... I think you're pretty great."

Lyra felt herself tearing up again.

"I know you don't like me very much, but-"

"Woah, back up, Allie. What makes you think I don't like you?"

Allie looked up at Lyra, confused about her statement but a lot happier now that her fears must have been lifted. "W-well, you keep yelling at me and giving me these looks and..."

Lyra sighed. "Yeah, I guess I've been a bit mean. Look, Allie, it's not because of you, it's..." Because of my mother, she wanted to say, but she didn't want to put any more pressure on Allie. "I've been going through some things."

"If you wanna talk about it, I can try and listen." Allie offered. "I dunno if I'd be any good at it, but I can try."

"Maybe later." Lyra scruffed Allie's hair. "It's some fairly adult stuff."

"Aren't you sixteen-"

"Hush, you." Lyra replied, with a smile. Allie smiled back.

"Aww, look at you two being a couple of dorks." Lemy's voice cut through to ruin the moment, followed by a giggle from him and Allie.

"Funny." Lyra replied as dryly as she could.


	18. Lupa, Liby and Lacy talk superpowers

"So, what superpower d'ya think you have, if you had one?"

Liby turned to Lacy, lying on her back and casually throwing a ball into the air and catching it before it hit her face. "Good question. I've never really thought about it."

"I think I'd have super-speed. Or strength. Or flight, flight would be cool." Toss.

"Yeah, but there's a lot more you could have."

"True, but I did say what you'd get, not what you'd want." Catch.

Lupa sighed. "It's not like we're gonna get these anyway, so what's the difference?"

"Stop reading too much into it, Lu." Lacy replied with an amused tone in her voice. "So what do you think you'd have, Liby?"

"Me?" Liby raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, really. I'd like TK or teleportation, but honestly I'd probably just end up with something barely-usable in most situations."

"You seem like a kinda... teleport-y girl. Or invisibility. Or super-smarts."

"God help us if she ends up with all of them, we'd never get any privacy ever again." Lupa chuckled to herself.

"Ha ha, Lupa, you're a real comedian." Liby replied, turning back to her book.

"At least one of us is one."

"Ouch, harsh." Liby said, sarcastically.

"So what power would you have, Lupa?" Lacy asked.

"Iunno, maybe the ability to project light or something." Lupa replied

This gave Lacy pause, and Liby too though Lupa couldn't exactly hear her do so, her eyes not lifting off the sketchbook she was doodling in. "Really?"

"I thought you'd go with some kind of shadow-manipulating ability or a 'nothing personnel' teleportation-slash-instant transmission thing."

"Nah, that'd be too obvious. Why not give me the power that's the least fitting? That way it gets interesting."

"Actually, I can kinda see that, what with the white and yellow." Lacy responded.

"Fuck you, Lace, don't make my subversion less subversion-y."

Lacy giggled. "Haha, sorry Lu."

"Well, I for one think that's a rather good power. So much potential, especially if you bend the definition of 'light' until it shatters, or in this case becomes a giant frag-off laser beam."

"Hell yeah, a laser beam would be sick." Lupa grinned, already flipping the page of her sketchbook over to doodle her superhero persona.

"You gonna draw it?" Lacy asked, bouncing up from the floor to peer over her shoulder.

Lupa nudged her elbow into her chest as a gesture to give her some space, which she did. "Yeah."

"Can you draw one for me please?"

"Maybe, if I get any ideas."

"Yay!" Lacy started to ramble on about her superhero persona, but in truth Lupa was only half-listening, already lost to her drawing project.


	19. Liena makes breakfast for Leni

Liena hesitated for a moment, carefully balancing the tray of food in one hand. She could hear quiet sobbing through her mother's bedroom door. Then, she knocked on the door, in her own pattern - her brother and adopted sister could knock normally and answer Leni when she asked who it was, but not being able to speak kind of made that a little awkward, and Leni often freaked out if she couldn't tell who it was. So, the two of them had worked out a system so the two of them could talk behind closed doors. It was rudimentary at best, but it usually worked. Usually.

The sounds of crying died down slowly "L-Liena?"

Liena knocked once.

A pause. "You can come if you'd like."

Liena gingerly opened the door. Her mother was sitting upright on her bed, wiping under her eyes with the sleeves of her pyjamas.

Those same eyes brightened upon seeing Liena, and the plate of food she was carrying. "Aww, is that for me?"

Liena nodded, placing the tray carefully on Leni's lap. In the centre of the tray was a nearly-flawless omelette, with cheese, ham and mixed veggies, and garnished with a sprinkling of chives. On one side, a pink-coloured smoothie, Leni's favourite blend. On the other, more for balance than anything, was a small vase with a trio of flowers - one picked out by herself, one by Lyle, and one by Bed.

Leni smiled, and pet Liena's shoulder. "Thank you, honey, it's lovely."

Liena could tell, by the way Leni's eyebrows were slightly furrowed and her voice sounded a little more sombre than usual, she was not feeling great. Tapping her shoulder to get her focus, she pointed at her, then tapped her open palm with the underside of her other hand twice with a look of concern - the sign for [YOU OKAY?]

It took a few seconds for Leni to process it - she wasn't the best with sign language, and usually Lyle or Bed was on hand to help translate. "I'm... I'm fine, honey."

Liena raised an eyebrow, putting her finger to her lip and moving it a few inches away from her face. [REALLY?]

Leni hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head and sighed. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed right now. I've got a project due in a few weeks I'm a little behind on, and another one just about to start." She smiled wearily. "You know how it is."

Liena gave her a sympathetic look, but then frowned slightly. She was holding back on her. [THAT'S NOT ALL]

Another few moments to process. "I..." She began to tear up again. "I don't know... I'm just worried about you, Lyle and Bed. I don't know if I've been a good mom to you three, and... like, you know about you and Lyle's dad."

She nodded.

"I read that kids who's mom and dad are... related, they're not healthy or something. Like, I know you can't speak, but what if something else happens to you two?" She sighed with a shaky breath. "Gosh, I probably sound mean or paranoid..."

Liena paused, then smiled softly. [I AM OKAY]

"I know, honey, but..."

[DON'T WORRY. OKAY?]

Leni wiped her eye again. "I... I'll try..."

Liena pointed to herself, crossed her arms over her chest, pointed at her, and tapped her chin with her thumb while spreading her fingers out flat. [I LOVE YOU MOM]

This was one of the few ASL phrases Leni knew off-by-heart. She beamed, tears now freely flowing. "I love you too, Liena."

Liena leaned forwards and wrapped her in a big hug, making sure to not send her breakfast flying. She held on for a few moments, then pulled back, patting Leni's shoulder. [I AM GOING. ENJOY]

Leni nodded. "Thank you again for the breakfast, honey. I think this is totally what I need right now."

Liena smiled, waved, and shut the door behind her.

"So, did you give her the flowers?" She heard a voice ask. She turned to Lyle, standing cross-armed, with Bed next to him rocking on her feet.

[YES, AND CARD]

"Did she read it?" Bed asked, excitedly.

[NOT YET]

"Aw." Bed dipped her head, momentarily disappointed.

"Hey, speaking of, where's our breakfast?" Lyle asked.

Liena frowned. [MAKE IT YOURSELF]

"Dang it."


	20. Older Lulu discovers a big secret

Lulu stared at the otherwise unassuming metal door, covered in warnings, a keypad lock to the right. Her single artifical eye studied the circutry and structure as far as she could see down. It appeared to be an elevator of some kind.

She tried the keypad, entering as many codes as she thought relevant before switching to brute force. She managed to get the code surprisingly easily, but as a panel slid down to reveal a strange needle device, she knew it wasn't going to be as simple as that.

She frowned. Her mother had always been quite secretive in the sixteen years she had been alive. All it did was hone Lulu's curiosity, and how crafty she was.

She tapped the needle with her cybernetic arm, and then her organic one. The second one caused the needle to jab out and pierce her skin, siphoning a bit of blood away. After a few moments the console flashed red with a loud warning tone.

Lulu groaned. It must be some kind of blood scanner.

Then she remembered she was in her mother's lab. She had to have a blood sample somewhere.

She began tearing through the cabinets and fridges, hunting for the blood sample that she just knew her mother had. And she found them, alongside some other questionable substances.

"Let's see..." She flicked through them, studying their labels. L1, L2, L3, and so on, until she found one marked LA, nestled between a RS and CMcB.

She held her palm open and poured some of the blood on it, then formed a layer of skin over it. She approached the needle again and held her palm to it, the needle piercing the sac and drawing the blood into it. The console flashed green the doors grinded open.

She stepped inside, pressing the singular button. The doors shut behind her, and the elevator began its long descent. The whole time, her eye scanned the architecture, and only after a solid minute did she pick up on a large structure below her.

The elevator ground to a halt and the doors opened. Before her was a massive, smooth-walled chasm, a large column with glowing green lights set into it dominating the very centre of the room. Each of her footsteps, either clawed or metallic, rang out loud in the vastness of the chamber.

A single console sat near the column, a singular blinking green light its only active feature. Warily, she approached it, and tapped her finger on the screen. It lit up, a weirdly primitive interface booting up. On it, was the date, 13 March 2061, and an activation button.

Just as she was about to touch it, something exploded, and she froze, a sharp pain in her chest. She looked down, a spattering of red fluid over the console, her own shirt slowly turning crimson. Just as her legs started to give out on her she turned around, and saw...

Her mother.

The woman, looking much younger than she was, lowered the pistol in her hand and approached Lulu with what she could only assume was as close to parental disappointment as Lisa could get. "You were always too curious for your own good, L6/A-GFEx-11."

"W-what...?" Lulu choked out, her body straining to keep itself intact and coherent.

Lisa approached the console and wiped the blood off it. "There is a reason I forbade entrance to this room. This device is extremely dangerous with the potential to wipe all of Michigan of the face of the planet, if mishandled."

"But... why...?" Lulu groaned, inbetween cries of pain.

"While it is true you are the most stable version of the L6/A project," Lisa started, sliding her finger across the display a couple of times. "You are far from an adequate result. Your form is unstable and prone to degredation, hence the cybernetics, plus your self-defence capabilities leave much to be desires." Lisa stroked her chin. "Maybe the L2/A project would be more successful..." She shrugged, then tapped the screen. A couple of prongs opened up and out of the column, then a spark travelled between the two of them, opening up a large green rend in reality, bathing the entire area in a sickly green glow. "Oh well, there's always more time to figure that out."

Lulu gasped for breath, as Lisa stepped towards the portal. "You... you monster...!"

"Maybe so." Lisa said, at the cusp of the portal's edge. Then, she stepped forwards-

Lulu screeched, lashing out with a mass of wirey sinew that ensnared Lisa, stopping her from entering. Or, so she thought, but the portal seemed to be trying to suck her in.

"W-what are you doing?!"

"I'll kill you!"

"You moron! You're gonna be pulled in as well!" Lisa yelled back, already tipping into the portal.

"Then I'll kill you on the other side!"

Lisa paused, then frowned. "Guess I'll see you then." And with a hop, she fell into the green swirl. Lulu felt her 'arm' being dragged, and before she had a chance to let go or jump in after her, she felt her body be yanked into it.

The moment she hit the threshold, she felt her mind being torn apart, unable to fully comprehend what was happening to her.

And then, black.

-

Lisa pulled herself up. "It never gets any easier..."

Dusting herself off, she checked her watch. Aside from it being slightly outdated, it read 22nd June 2044.

"Flawless."

She heard banging on some glass next to her. She turned around, a vat of yellow-green fluid holding a half-formed and mostrous figure the size of a baby. Its sinewy claw struck hopelessly against the glass, its one eye staring at her with murderous intent and desperate confusion.

"Ah, L6/A-11. I see you did decide to follow me." She smiled. "I'd tell you what just happened, but your body is falling apart as we speak, unable to contain its own raw power."

L6/A-11 paused, then looked at its body, strings of biomatter slowly drifting away in a cloud of murky red. It went into a blind panic, flailing against the glass.

"I am truly sorry, 11." Lisa placed her hand on the glass. "I did enjoy the time we spent together, though now that time is gone forever."

L6/A-11's blind panic turned to raw, seething hatred, as it started attacking almost entirely in Lisa's direction, only making it fall apart faster.

"I do hope L6/A-12 has your level of determination." Lisa sighed. "I can't bear to watch you suffer. I hate to do this, but..." Steeling herself, she grabbed a lever, and pushed it as hard forwards as she could.

L6/A-11's eyes widened, moments before its body was wracked with a lethal amount of electricity, terminating it instantly.

Lisa yanked the lever back, then pressed her forehead against the glass. "I'm sorry... Lulu..."


	21. Older Gloom considers a breast reduction

"I'm thinking about getting a breast reduction."

Lyle paused for a long, long time.

Gloom looked down at her feet, or as close as she could get with her physique. She felt herself getting antsy. Lyle was taking too long to respond.

"... Why?" Lyle asked, softly.

"It's... complicated." Gloom sighed. She knew Lyle wouldn't like this. "I mean, I know you like them like this, but..." A slight spike of pain shot through her back, as if to accentuate her next point. "They're really awkward, and heavy. I can't sleep on anything except my side, and my back is always killing me." She curled into herself a little, holding her elbow. "Plus finding clothes that fit me are a nightmare..."

Lyle remained silent, contemplation etched into his face.

Gloom sighed again. "I knew you wouldn't like it, it was a stupid idea to begin with..."

Lyle snapped out of his daze. "What? No, no, Gloom, I'm just... thinking."

"Thinking...?" Gloom raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, just..." Lyle let out a breath, as he sat on the bed edge. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

Gloom blinked. "I... I thought you wouldn't like me any more if I said I wanted a reduction."

"Okay, first of all, that's utter nonsense, you're still an amazing person and I wouldn't care if you were an A-cup or an H-cup." He offered her a smile. "Second, did you really think I'd object to anything that would stop you from hurting?"

"I... guess I kinda did."

Lyle sighed. "Gloom, I absolutely love you to death and even beyond, but seriously, you gotta tell me these things. I don't like the idea of you suffering in silence."

"Yeah..." Gloom placed her head in her hand. "God damnit, Forrister..."

"But no, I think, if you think a breast reduction would be a good idea, then I'm on board with it." He smirked, reaching out and hefting one of her ample breasts. "I won't lie, though, I'll miss these a little."

Gloom giggled. "Yeah, I know."

"Honestly, my main concern is how we're going to afford it." Lyle stroked his chin, clean-shaven as always. "We're looking at at least five thousand, and between bills and food it's gonna take some time to save up for it."

"We'll work that out later." Gloom sat next to him on the bed, a wave of relief washing the weight off her back, though it did nothing for the literal weight on her chest. "But still, thank you for being okay with this whole thing." She planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"Hah hah, no problem, Gloom." He smiled. "Just, y'know, before you get them shrunk, lemme have at least one more go with them."

"Perv." Gloom gave him a sly smirk.


End file.
